Sangakkara calls for equity on tours

Colombo: Sri Lankan cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara has urged world cricket chiefs to balance the international calendar via the provision of a more equitable Future Tours Programme.

Sangakkara said global viewership of the sport had dwindled over the past year, despite a packed schedule of Tests, one-dayers and Twenty20 cricket.

“I am told about 40 per cent of viewership has dropped for Tests. It has dropped for one-dayers and T20 too,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying.

According to Sangakkara the rise of Twenty20 cricket has made the one- and five-day games look like the boring siblings of the cricket family.

He welcomed suggestions for jazzing up Test cricket through night games or a world championship, which could attract viewers and sponsors.

“We can’t just ignore the consumers. Ultimately its sponsorship that generates revenue for the boards,” said Sangakkara.

The articulate Sri Lankan skipper called for more Test matches to be fairly distributed in the Future Tours Programme (FTP) that is being prepared by the International Cricket Council to govern cricket from 2012.

He also lamented the lack of Test matches for his own team, which would have played just two matches against the West Indies this year had India not agreed to a hastily arranged three-Test series against Sri Lanka starting on Sunday.

“All sides should have an equal opportunity to play Tests,” Sangakkara said.